The Road Ain't No Place to Start a Family
by kamification
Summary: RPF. HeYa. Naya proposes to Heather on tour.


"You ready for this stud?"

Mark's voice snaps Naya out of her trance. "Stud" had become her nickname from the cast, save for Heather, after the whole cast heard them consummating their newly formed relationship on the first night of tour last year. As much as the nickname embarrassed Naya it also made her proud she was a stud after all, Heather had proved that to her many times over since that night. Those times as well as other times, romantic, sweet, quirky, awkward, frustrating, confusing, but overall amazing times are what lead Naya to this night.

"You got this." Mark reassured Naya.

"You've also got one minute." The stagehand added.

Naya closed the ring box and put it in the pocket of the blazer she was wearing.

"Thirty seconds." The stagehand called.

"Remind me again." Naya said her nerves making her forget everything she should be sure of.

"She loves you. You love her. Always have, always will."

"10 seconds."

"Now go show her." Mark finished, turning Naya around and pushing her out towards the stage.

Microphone in one hand and the other palming the ring box in her jacket nervously Naya began what felt like the longest walk of her life. In reality the walk from the wings out onto stage was only fifteen feet but it felt like a lifetime for her. Or at least enough time to reflect on how she'd ended up here.

She didn't have to reflect on how she ended up here about to propose to Heather. No, Naya knew from the day Heather walked onto set that there was something special about the tall, blue-eyed blonde. Aside from her bubbly, loveable personality and looks that made her fit to be called a goddess, Naya noticed something else about Heather. Naya _felt _something else. When Heather looked at her, smiled and then burst into laughter at something she'd said Naya felt like all her life she had been missing a part of her that she'd never known existed. She'd never known just how complete she could feel until the missing piece of her, everything she'd ever truly needed to be happy, walked into her life in the form of the girl Naya was about to make her fiancé, and eventually her wife.

No, what Naya needed to reflect on was how she ended up here about to propose to Heather in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden, thousands of sold out movie theaters across the nation, and millions of TV viewers. The Glee Live Tour was doing a special one night only live broadcast of the original Glee cast's last show ever. The graduation episode had aired twelve weeks earlier and the cast started touring the weekend following. Somewhere along the road, literally and figuratively, on tour Naya finally decided to act on what she had known for a long time. After formally making Heather her girlfriend, the two had been fooling around and practically been in a relationship for months already, on tour last year it only made sense to Naya to take the next step she was sure her and Heather were ready for on tour this year. It was romantic, sentimental and totally rad, all the things Naya's blonde bombshell of a girlfriend loved.

After flying to Arizona to get permission from Heather's mom and sister, the first person Naya told in the cast was of course Kevin. Kevin was her best friend aside from Heather and he was her bro. He had always been completely supportive of Naya and Heather's relationship even before it was really a relationship.

Naya complained to Kevin relentlessly during all of season one and the first part of season two when Heather was still dating her ex-boyfriend Taylor. When that relationship finally ended and Heather and Naya had been fooling around without making any serious progress towards a relationship, it was Kevin who bet Naya a hundred bucks that she wouldn't ask Heather to be her girlfriend before the tour was over. Slightly drunk, and never one to back down from a challenge, Naya accepted.

The next night, after their first show, Naya pulled Heather aside and formally asked her to be her girlfriend. The cast found out about it through the loud and long celebratory sex the two had that night and the way they were all over each other more than usual the next day. When they had their first night off Naya used the money she won from Kevin, along with some of her own, to take her girlfriend out on the most romantic first date either of them had ever been on.

After telling Kevin, Naya assembled Mark, Corey, and Harry and told them all simultaneously.

Mark was like Naya's older brother. The two attempted to have a fling when they first met but that was mostly Naya trying to distract herself from Heather and Mark trying to just get laid at all, it quickly died. Since then the two were close but not overly so. Naya went to Mark when she needed the straight up truth. And when they went out on the town, and Naya partied a little too hard as she was known to do, Mark always kept an eye out for her and protected her.

Corey was to Heather as Mark as to Naya. Although she didn't need it, Naya wanted to get his blessing to propose and his input on everything from the ring to the date of the proposal to the proposal itself. She knew that Corey would be hurt if he wasn't one of the first to know; so she included him in her inner circle under the condition that he never mention it around any of the other cast or crew until she said it was okay and that he never, ever tweet about it.

Harry was Heather's Kevin. The two dancers had known each other before Glee and had come to form an even deeper bond on the show. They spent a lot of time dancing and having fun together. Naya figured she could use him as her spy. He could ask Heather questions about her relationship with Naya and their future together without it seeming odd. And then of course he would immediately report those answers back to Naya so she could use them to perfectly plan her proposal.

With her circle of bros formed, Naya then began her planning process. They quickly decided that the last night of tour would be the best night to do it. It held tremendous sentimental value. It was still apart of tour which, for obvious reasons, was very special in Naya and Heather's relationship, but it also was a moment of transition for the whole cast. This was the end of the beginning of all of their careers. Some of them had worked on fairly big projects before but Glee was what had sky rocketed each of them to international stardom. The last night of tour signified the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, the perfect moment to propose.

Naya already had the ring picked out. In the beginnings of their friendship she and Heather stayed up late on countless nights, as girls do, talking about marriage and designing engagement rings online. Of course at the time Heather was talking about marrying Taylor. There was one ring that Heather designed that she was completely in love with but, based on the rule of an engagement ring costing three months salary, it was totally out of Taylor's price range. And any price range he'd have for the foreseeable future. It wasn't even in the lowest range of Naya's. Naya, for reasons she didn't recognize or at least want to acknowledge at the time, had printed and saved that ring design. Almost two years later and with a few minor adjustments, higher diamond quality and an exchange for platinum instead of white gold, Naya ordered the ring. Due to the constant change of her address while on tour, Naya paid almost twice as much to have it made and rush delivered to her while they had a week stop in Los Angeles.

With the ring in hand and the date settled upon all that was left to plan was how the actual proposal would occur. Her original group of bros had proved to be pretty useless in creative and romantic ways to propose. None of them had girlfriends and none of them were even thinking about marriage for a while so once the ideas that Google searches could provide were exhausted so were theirs. Feeling rather hopeless Naya included the rest of the cast, all except Heather of course. It proved to be tough to get the whole cast together to brainstorm ideas without Heather getting suspicious as to why she wasn't included in their hang out. So in order to not piss off her girlfriend Naya kept the meetings to about five cast members at a time.

Naya proposing on stage had started out as a joke. She, Kevin, Dianna, Lea, and Corey were all hanging out one day before a show and Kevin suggested it.

"What if you serenade her with 'Songbird' center stage and then do it?" Kevin said grinning. He knew before he said it that it was a far-fetched idea and that Naya would never go for it, but he liked pushing her buttons a little bit.

Naya paled at the thought. "No. Absolutely not."

"Oh come on Nay. Everyone knows that's you and Heather's song." Lea said from her position on Dianna's lap.

"Seriously Nay, you both were practically glowing when you sang it to her during filming last season." Corey piped in.

"That was from the sex they had before they filmed it." Kevin said his grin turning wicked as Naya blushed and hit him in the arm. The others snickered at this sibling like exchange.  
>"Okay. I didn't need to know that. But seriously, you have to admit it is your song. It's Heather's ringtone on your phone for crying out loud." Dianna added.<p>

"Oh so you finally changed it from 'Naughty Girl' then?" Kevin asked laughing and moving just out of the reach of Naya's punch. Everyone was full out laughing by this time.

"Hardy fucking har McHale." Naya said sarcastically. She was trying her hardest to seem unamused but she was smiling.

"Okay, okay I'm done. But come on, you have to admit, that's a great idea." Kevin said finally taking the situation seriously.

"Probably the best one yet. But there's no way I could do that. Songbird isn't even in the set list and the amount of hoops I'd have to jump through to make it happen, I don't even think I have time to get approval from Fox."

"So, you're saying Heather's not worth it?" Dianna challenged raising her eyebrow and channeling her inner Quinn.

"Fuck you Fabray. Of course I'm not saying that. " Naya responded angrily. The two girls often called each other by their character's names when they felt it appropriate. Naya definitely felt it appropriate right now.

"Woah woah woah simmer down Lopez." Dianna replied. "All I'm saying is, if you want it to happen I'm sure we could make it happen."

Naya sighed. Even if it scared her shitless, it really was the best idea. And as embarrassed as she'd be, Heather would love it. Hell they'd be able to watch it over and over again from different angles in HD forever. The more Naya thought about it the more she liked the idea. But she still wasn't convinced it was possible.

"If someone can make it happen, I'll do it." Naya said smiling a little.

"Okay. Meeting adjourned. I'm hungry." Corey said getting up. Lea and Dianna followed suit and the three of them walked off in search of food. Naya just sat there imagining herself proposing to Heather in front of the entire United States of America. The prospect was more daunting than she realized.

"$500 says you won't do it Rivera." Kevin taunted in the silence.

"Bite me McHale." Naya replied back. Heather would _really_ love it.

"So is that a bet?"

"Make it happen and we'll talk."

Two weeks later Naya held the clearance letter from Fox in her right hand and shook Kevin's with her left.

"It's a bet."

Now she's here, standing at the edge of the wings watching Heather being led to sit on a stool by Harry. This is how it always went; Heather and Harry danced their piece while normally backstage Naya and Gwyneth Paltrow were preparing to come onstage to perform "Lanslide". When Heather was safely on her stool the curtains would close for 45 seconds as a Brittany and Santana video played. This gave the stagehands enough time to set the other two stools and for the other two women to join Heather on stage.

Tonight, the curtains don't close.

Heather sits on the stool and looks around nervously attempting to maintain her composure. Naya can tell she's freaking out.

"Me too baby, me too." Naya says under her breath.

Heather's face goes from uneasy to confused when she hears the opening notes of "Songbird". And then as Naya walks onto stage her face is questioning. But when Naya begins to sing her face relaxes completely.

_For you, there'll be no more crying,  
>For you, the sun will be shining,<br>And I feel that when I'm with you,  
>It's alright, I know it's right<em>

Naya's standing in front of Heather now. Their turned sideways so the audience can see what's going on, they're still performers after all. But Naya is looking into Heather's eyes and she forgets that in the arena alone there are over twenty thousand other pairs of eyes on her. All she sees in the piercing blue eyes in front of her that are already brimming with tears. Naya reaches down to grab Heather's hand, wanting some physical connection to match the emotional one in these words.

_To you, I'll give the world  
>To you, I'll never be cold<br>'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,  
>It's alright, I know it's right.<em>

_And the songbirds are singing,  
>Like they know the score,<br>And I love you, I love you, I love you,  
>Like never before.<em>

Naya's voice cracks during the chorus again just like it did when she sang the song in the studio staring directly into Heather's eyes through the window in the booth. Just like it did when she sang this song for Heather in her bed the night after they became a couple. Just like it does every damn time she sings the song and thinks about Heather at all.

Heather's crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks and the sweetest smile Naya has ever seen on her lips. She musters every ounce of willpower she has not to cry and to power out the next two lines because she has never meant anything more in her entire life.

_And I wish you all the love in the world,  
>But most of all, I wish it from myself.<em>

Heather laughs a little. Naya smiles, she can't stop the tears from escaping now.

_And the songbirds keep singing,  
>Like they know the score,<br>And I love you, I love you, I love you,  
>Like never before, like never before.<em>

Naya finishes the song, pouring almost every last bit of her heart into the last chorus. Heather stands up and hugs her tight. The crowd is going wild. They were just as surprised at this as Heather was.

She reserved a few bits of her heart for what she's about to do next.

"I'm not done." Naya whispers into Heather's ear as she pulls away.

"Thank you." Naya says laughing a little into the mic. "But, I have something else I'd like to do." Heather looks at her inquisitively as the crowd dies down.

"Heather if you'd take a seat." Naya says gently pushing on Heather's shoulder so she's at least leaning on the stool. Naya doesn't want her to fall over or something. That'd be pretty embarrassing.

"Heather. On the first day I met you I looked at you and said 'I like you.' A month later, behind closed doors I told Kevin I loved you. Since the day you walked into my life you have made it better than I ever imagined it could be. When I met it you it was like I'd found a piece of me I didn't know I was missing. Now that I've found it, I don't ever want to go another day without it. Heather, you're my best friend, my girlfriend, my confidant, my cuddle buddy, my 3am dance party partner, and probably one of the best undiscovered female wrestlers there is." Heather laughs, Naya smirks and a few whoops and hollers ring out from the crowd and backstage. Naya takes a deep breath; the tears are on threatening to escape again. "You know all of my flaws, all of my secrets, all of my fears, all of my hopes, and all of my dreams. Tonight, I want to ask you to make my biggest dream come true." Naya kneels on her left knee reaching into her pocket with her left hand. She pulls out the ring and opens the box before looking up to meet Heather's eyes. She's crying again and Naya wishes she had headset so she could wipe away the tears. She holds the ring out in front of her. "Heather Elizabeth Morris, will you marry me?"

The crowd doesn't even wait for her answer before they auditorium is filled with cheers and applause.

Heather nods her head fervently.

"Yes!" she yells out as loud as she can over the crowd. But she could've whispered it and Naya still would've seen the answer in her shining blue eyes.

Naya drops the mic and slides the ring onto Heather's left hand. Then she's off of her knee and kissing Heather forgetting, once again, that the entire country is watching. All she sees is her fiancé.

The curtains close.

Suddenly stagehands are rushing around them setting up for the next song, "Faithfully".

As Corey and Lea start singing Naya's hand finds Heather's. Their fingers intertwine effortlessly and Naya can feel the cool metal of Heather's engagement ring warm under her touch.

Faithfully has always been one of Naya's favorite songs to perform. She's always felt a special connection to the lyric having to travel all the time for Glee and other opportunities that her celebrity has afforded her.

But hearing Corey and Lea sing "_they say that the road ain't no place to start a family_" while looking at Heather, no longer her girlfriend but now her fiancé, on their last night of tour, which brought both developments, Naya can't help but feel that Journey got that some of it wrong.


End file.
